UK name, mostly boys
Nate
A given name of Hebrew origin meaning "gift of God".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Nate is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Nate popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #338, with 129 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2020, with 147 births.
This profile covers 2,029 England and Wales registrations across 24 recorded years from 2001 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 88% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,148 living people in the UK are called Nate. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Nate ranked #338 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 129 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2020, when 147 boys were registered as Nate.
- • Nate ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #330 in 2024.
- • About 2,148 living people in the UK are estimated to have Nate as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 99.9% of Nate registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#338
2024
Births in 2024
129
Latest year
Peak year
2020
147 births
Estimated living
2,148
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Nate
In England and Wales birth records, Nate has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 99.9% of registrations are for boys and 0.1% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Nate registered for boys
- Ranked #338 in 2024
- 129 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (147 births)
Nate registered for girls
- Ranked #3,824 in 1997
- 3 girls registered in 1997
- Peak: 1997 (3 births)
Meaning
What does Nate mean?
The name Nate is a diminutive form of the Hebrew name Nathan, which means "he gave" or "gift of God." The name's origins can be traced back to ancient Israel, where it was a popular name among the Jewish population.
Nathan first appeared in the Bible as the name of a prophet who lived during the reign of King David. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Davidic dynasty and is revered as a wise and influential figure in Jewish history.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Nate can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Josephus, who lived in the first century AD. He mentioned a Jewish rebel named Nate who fought against the Roman Empire during the Jewish Revolt of 66-73 AD.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Nate or its variations. One of the most famous was Nate Saint (1923-1956), an American Christian missionary who was killed while attempting to make contact with the Huaorani people of Ecuador.
Another prominent figure was Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), an American novelist and short story writer best known for his works such as "The Scarlet Letter" and "The House of the Seven Gables."
Nate Thurmond (1941-2016) was a professional basketball player who played for the San Francisco Warriors and the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.
Nate Dogg (1969-2011), whose real name was Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, was an American rapper and actor known for his collaborations with artists like Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Warren G.
Finally, Nate Parker (born 1979) is an American actor, writer, and director best known for his work on the 2016 film "The Birth of a Nation," which he co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Nate over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Nate in England and Wales, from 1997 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Nate, the clearest high point is 2020. The latest England and Wales figure is 129 births in 2024, compared with 147 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nate by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Nate was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #324 | 689 | 5 |
| 2010s | #391 | 1,110 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1141 | 230 | 9 |
Geography
Where Nate is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Nate. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Nate ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #330 in 2024.
Across the UK
Nate in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#330 in 2024
16 years of NRS records, 116 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#404 in 2024
5 years of NISRA records, 15 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Nate
-
Nate Lanxon
journalist
English journalist
1984-
-
Nate James
singer-songwriter
British singer-songwriter
1979-
-
Nate Ackerman
mathematician; philosopher; logician
American logician
1978-
-
Nate Reinking
basketball player; basketball coach
British-American basketball player
1973-
-
Nate Crowley
writer
UK author
-
Nate Higgins
politician
candidate in United Kingdom General Election
Related
Names similar to Nate
- Noah 72,596
- Nathan 46,860
- Nicholas 15,983
- Nathaniel 12,151
- Niall 5,746
- Nicolas 3,825
- Nico 3,532
- Nikodem 1,872
- Noel 1,865
- Ned 1,614
- Neo 1,563
- Neil 1,457
FAQ
Nate: questions and answers
How popular is the name Nate in the UK right now?
In 2024, Nate was ranked #338 for boys in England and Wales, with 129 births registered.
When was Nate most popular?
The peak year on record was 2020, with 147 babies registered as Nate in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Nate?
A given name of Hebrew origin meaning "gift of God".
How many people are called Nate in the UK?
A total of 2,029 babies have been registered as Nate across the 24 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 116 more in Scotland and 15 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Nate most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Nate ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #330 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.